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Wildlife Photography

Equipment - Part 1

Text and Images by Eric J. Landsberg

Camera

Choosing suitable equipment for wildlife photography might be an overwhelming experience, with so many "format" options available (SLR, SLR-Like, Compact, Ultra Compact). Most Professional wildlife photographers only use the SLR- Format, and in this article we will only look at the SLR camera format. With the advances in technology there are two basic systems: the traditional film based cameras and the new digital based CMOS/CCD cameras.

Film based technology can still be used and photographers produce outstanding images with these systems. With the advances in digital equipment, more and more professional photographers are migrating to digital equipment.

How many of us have used the old film based point-and-shoot cameras in a game reserve, only to be disappointed with the results. Compact Digital/Film cameras are not suitable for wildlife photography because they don't provide the necessary flexibility.

 

White Rhinoceros

(Ceratotherium simum)

The SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera system consists of a camera body with interchangeable lenses; we will discuss the lens configuration in the next section.

But before you rush out to the nearest photographic shop consider the following:

• Decide on the type of photography that you would like to pursue. This will influence the type of equipment you will need. (Wildlife, Landscape, Macro)
• Photographic equipment is very expensive, and changing from one manufacturer to the other could be a very costly exercise.
• Investigate availability of hardware and technology compatibility.
• It definitely will not harm to find out what professional wildlife photographer's use. (Most of the time you can find this information on their websites)

With the SLR system the photographer looks at his subject through the lens, this is ideal for composition, and what you see is basically what you get. But with most SLR Cameras the viewfinder represents less than 100 % of the final image, this is not serious but should be considered for the final composition.

Burchell's Zebra

(Equus burchellii)

For more information concerning your specific model please consult the manufactures handbook.

Aperture and the shutter control the amount of light transferred to the Film/CMOS/CCD. The ISO also play an intricate part in the calculation of the correct exposure, but we will look at ISO in future articles. Exposure is the combination of these variables.

The Aperture is a device in the lens that allows the adjustment of the lens airs to control the amount of light penetrating. These variations are known as f-stops. These values include f/2, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16 and f/22. With some lens systems the aperture can be changed using the aperture ring. With Canon lenses this can only be done through the camera body.

The shutter on the other hand controls the exposure time of the Film/CMOS/CCD. These values are fractions of a second and include the following: 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15 and 1/8.

We will look in more detail at the functions of the Aperture and Shutter in another section.

Waterbuck

(Kobus ellipsiprymnus)

Essential camera functions

The camera body should be able to provide the photographer with some basic exposure system that gives the photographer more control over the creation of the image. Non-professional camera systems normally provide you with Basic modes and Creative modes. The basic modes consist of Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, and Sport.

But the best way to learn photography is to utilise the settings in the creative modes. Aperture-priority, Manual exposure and Shutter-priority.

The camera should provide the following functionality to the photographer:

Interchangeable Lenses

There is no single best lens for all wildlife photography. The ability to switch lenses will greatly assist the photographer in the composition of the image.

Aperture Priority

Aperture-Priority in this mode the photographer is allowed to set the Aperture and the camera software will determine the appropriate Shutter speed.

Shutter Priority

Shutter-Priority in this mode the photographer is allowed to set the Shutter and the camera software will determine the appropriate Aperture.

Manual

Manual - in this mode the photographer is in total control of the entire exposure.

Dial-in Exposure Compensation

The camera must also provide some exposure compensation functionality in order to correct exposure. Normally this will be in 1/2 or 1/3 stop increments.

Vertical Grip

Although not essential in wildlife photography for beginners, vertical Grip's get more important as you ability improves. With digital cameras the extra battery power provided is definitely helping with these power hungry devices.

Rock Monitor

(Varanus exanthematicus)

Metering Modes

The metering system measures the light and set the relevant exposure accordingly.
The system must contain some metering system, the standard metering algorithms available will be:

Evaluative Metering / Matrix Metering

Partial Metering

Center-weighted Metering

Spot Metering

Autofocus

The technology utilised in autofocus has evolved over the pass few years to the point where it is almost unthinkable to be without. Almost all the new camera systems have this function, and with moving subjects this is a must.

Power Requirements

Cameras are energy hungry devises especially the digital cameras and for this reason it pays to invest in a battery grip with rechargeable batteries.

Buffalo

(Syncerus caffer)

Second Hand Equipment

This might be a good option for beginners, with more and more photographers migrating to digital equipment. Good film-based equipment is coming available at good prices.

Digital technology will provide more second-hand equipment on a regular basis as technology improves. With digital technology it would be advisable to have an upgrade strategy in place, due to the advances in this technology over time. Just remember, just because the manufacturer discontinued a certain model, does not mean the specific model will stop producing outstanding images for year to come.

Springbuck

(Antidorcas marsupialis)

Digital equipment comprise of a camera body based on current film-based equipment with a CMOS/CCD image-capturing devices build into the camera. The images captured by the image-capturing devices are then passed to the storage media CF Card (CompactFlash Card). Other storage media include SD/MS/SM/MMC. Consumer D-SLR cameras are equipped with images sensor smaller than full-size 35mm, typically referred to as FOV (Field of View) crop, this is often misleadingly called the Focal Length Multiplier. Depending on the manufacturer this might range from 1.5x , 1.6x or even 1.7x. This means a tighter field of view that the full-size 35mm. Some professional D-SLR cameras are equipped with sensors equal to 35mm. The so-called magnification obtained is merely a crop, your 300mm lens does not suddenly become a 480mm lens. It is still a 300mm lens, you only enjoy the same field of view as the 480mm lens would on a 35mm film camera.

• Fortunately manufacturers have build on the current base of equipment available to film-based cameras, and most accessories can be used on digital cameras. There is no need to change the expensive lenses to accommodate digital equipment.

• Professional photographers are migrating to Digital equipment but still have some film-based equipment. Beginners should however look at the pros and cons of digital technology and then make an informed decision on the equipment they require.

• There are definitely hidden costs involved in the digital based cameras, but these costs can be limited by selecting the correct equipment.

• The biggest advantage of digital technology is the immediate feedback provided to the photographer.

• There is a perception that digital provides you with "free" film, but the "free" film provided by the technology comes at a cost. We will look at storage in another section.

• Image-capturing devices CMOS/CCD, should you buy CMOS (Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) or CCD (Charged Coupled Device). Canon and Nikon however proved that both these sensors produce outstanding images. Again the answer is simple, stick with your preferred manufacturer, CMOS or CCD technology.

• With digital technology the image-capturing device forms part of the camera body, and with the continual advances in the technology photographers should have an upgrade strategy in place.

Now that you have selected the right camera body we need to move on to the more expensive equipment.